


8 Times Wolfie had Done a Favor

by Okami_no_fude



Series: Linked Universe oneshots [16]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Animal Abuse, Assassination Attempt(s), But tailored to each Link instead, Caves, Comfort, Found Family, Homesickness, Hurt/Comfort, I seem to like caves too much, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Mentions of loftwings, Torture, Will add more tags with more chapters, Wolfie Cuddles a lot, or found pack in Wolfie's case
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:22:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22300042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okami_no_fude/pseuds/Okami_no_fude
Summary: While not everyone knew Wolfie's origins, or why he comes to assist them in times of need, big or small, they could all agree that he was a valuable companion that appeared every now and then.For Twilight week on the LU Discord Server.
Series: Linked Universe oneshots [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1412722
Comments: 79
Kudos: 342





	1. Wild・Wind

**Author's Note:**

> As it is Twilight week in the Discord Server, I could not resist writing about my favorite boy, Wolfie/Twilight!  
> Let's hope I can end all chapters before the weekly prompt ends!  
> The length will vary for each Link's pov.  
> enjoy!
> 
> [Linked Universe](https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/) is owned by @jojo58630 on Tumblr  
> Legend of Zelda is owned by Nintendo

**\---**

**Wild**

**\---**

As Wild slowly followed after his mentor who was back in his wolf form, a small smile was dancing on his lips, remembering that once again, Wolfie had been with his prone form as he recalled a memory.

A gesture that Wild would never stop being grateful.

Even before he knew the wolf as the hero of twilight, Wolfie had always been at his side and guarding him when he was at his most vulnerable: when he was remembering a memory of his past. 

It wasn’t really something he could control, and with a lot of stuff out to kill him, it was rather nerve-wracking to lose complete control over his body. 

So he felt far safer when a trustworthy companion was always nearby watching over him.

Wild’s mind drifted toward the time when he was still in his own journey to defeat Calamity Ganon, where Wolfie suddenly appeared by his side in his time of need. One time when he had just came out from a rather emotional memory trip at the Bottomless Swamp, Wolfie was right there to comfort him. He then had later noticed that there was some blood on the wolf’s teeth and claws. With some searching around the area, he had found a Windcleaver lying rather innocently on the ground, alongside a few scattered rupees and a Mighty banana.

Wild had never been so grateful and emotional in his life as much as he had been when those items were found on the ground not too far from where he had been standing.

Catching up to the grey-furred wolf who was leading him to catch up with the rest of the group, the Champion gave a small pat between his ears. 

“Thanks for always watching my back, Wolfie.”

\---

**Wind**

**\---**

Well, this was a situation he didn’t think he would find himself in. It was more of a scenario he thought they would find Wild or Hyrule in, the two wanderers in their group of heroes across ages. 

But he is also an explorer of uncharted waters. Exploring is in his nature, whether it is land or sea. He doesn’t know which he prefers, but currently, he rather explore the sea than land.

If he was at sea this wasn’t nearly as likely to happen.

Wind could only groan as he attempted to push himself upright, only for sudden pain flaring up as he tried to put his weight on his right foot and causing him to collapse. 

He could only say he was lucky enough to only have a lot of bruises and a badly strained ankle rather than multiple broken bones when he had tumbled down a small ravine, but it was still annoying. 

Who would even think there would be a stray, camouflaged lizalfos waiting to ambush someone?

Oh, wait, Wild did say that was a common occurrence. 

Well, he expected that the Lizalfos was aiming to kill him, not startle him down into a ravine. 

He hoped that the lizalfos wouldn’t come down to finish him off in his vulnerable state. Or will it be stupid enough to chase him and result in it tumbling down and dying?

Wind rummaged his pouch for potions, only to frown that he did not even have ⅓ of a bottle of red potion left. He couldn’t see that it would be even enough to heal his ankle enough for him to walk. 

That was when he heard a few soft growls. 

The sailor could not help but let out a few curses as he saw a few monsters slowly stalking toward him. They were a mishmash of bokoblins from the various eras, but the one leading them was a silver bokoblin from Wild’s era, ones that the champion had said were much tougher than regular enemies. 

Wind hastily searched for his bow and arrows, but that sudden movement had triggered the monsters and the silver bokoblin came rushing forward, its spiky club swinging overhead. 

But before it could make contact, a white and grey blur smashed against the silver bokoblin’s side and it went flying.

Every lifeform stopped their movements to witness the brutal violence of a certain wolf tearing into the throat of the lead bokoblin, furious snarls and squeals of pain echoing throughout the ravine, only for the latter to be cut off with a sickening tearing sound. 

Wolfie, with his sharp teeth stained red it made a menacing picture as he growled at the remaining bokoblins, daring to attack him again. The monsters began to tremble and shifted backward, intimidated by the wolf that had killed their lead so easily. 

Another step from the snarling wolf had them fleeing from the scene, and Wind found it kinda humorous to see them tripping and bonking into each other in a hurry to retreat. A huff was heard and he saw Wolfie walking up to him, spitting some of the blood out of his mouth. Wind swore he could see smugness and amusement flashing in his blue eyes before it sent what it seemed to be a concerned look at him. 

“Thank you Wolfie, you saved me,” Wind said gratefully as he scratched between Wolfie’s ears as the wolf came to his reaching distance and started sniffing him all over, perhaps trying to see if he was bleeding anywhere? 

He knew that this was rather strange behavior for a wild animal to do with a human, but he did not really mind; it just made Wolfie more loveable. 

“Do you mind giving me a lift toward our camping area? I don’t think I can walk,” he asked a little sheepishly. 

Wolfie gave a little whine of concern as he sniffed Wind’s right leg, before crouching low to the ground in front of him and gestured his head toward the back.

As Wind grabbed the soft, warm fur of his ride, feeling the powerful pounding of paws as they ran through the ravine, he pressed his face near the wolf’s head.

“Thanks Wolfie, I owe you one,” he whispered gratefully.


	2. Legend・Warriors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Favors number 3 and 4 of what Wolfie had done for two more of the heroes in their rag-tag group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, one of the POVs just ran away on its own and it went a bit longer than expected, but please enjoy the two favors!  
> Warnings for some slight violence, but not extreme.  
> oh, and also angst, because it seems I cannot write a fic without some angst.  
> I would also like to thank Pan for checking my Legend's pov

**\---**

**Legend**

**\---**

Legend woke up with a gasp, his heart thundering in his chest and something wet on his cheeks. He frantically scanned the area only to see a dying fire and most of his fellow companions asleep.

He was still at the place where the group of heroes decided to camp for the night, making him relax. 

With a mostly quiet, but aggravated sigh, Legend wiped his cheeks, pushed himself up and nearly tossed his blanket off. 

The seasoned adventurer who wished nothing more than a good break always wondered why he even bothered to sleep when his fears pop up in his sleep, turning dreams into realistic nightmares so often. 

  
He gave a glance toward the youngest of the group, who was sleeping with a serene smile on his face, then toward his successor, who was completely in the dream world without a care. Legend pushed down the twinge of jealousy, as he knew it was no one’s fault but his own that he did not like seeing any dreams.    
Well, it wasn’t all his fault; partially the blame went to the infernal whale-shaped entity called-

Legend had to stop himself from thinking that name, breathing in and out as he tried to calm himself before he exploded with sad rage.

He never dealt well with any kind of sadness, hence why he resorted to anger or sarcasm, causing most people to shy away from him, from getting too close with him. Legend was always fine with that, as he rarely handled permanent goodbyes well either. 

But somehow this group of people, who he  _ knows _ he would inevitably have to say goodbye, probably forever, had wormed their way into his closed-off heart and had become people who he cared for a lot (not that he would verbally admit to any of the heroes in this rag-tag group). If he was in a situation where any one of them were in a dire situation, he would bring out all his arsenal to save them. That was how much he cared for them. If he lost any of them on his watch…   
  


Legend was startled out of his thoughts when he felt a warm, damp something bump with his nose. The hero of legend opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) to see a pair of glowing blue eyes, surrounded by grey and white fur staring right back at him. 

“Wha- Wolfie?”

Said wolf let out a small whine as Legend registered the group’s furry friend, his origins being relatively unknown for the longest time since he first aided the group during combat. Lowering his head, Wolfie sniffed at his tightly clenched hands before letting out a concerned whimper, nosing at them.

Legend slowly unclenched his fingers to see red crescent moons on the palm of his hands.    
That must have been what tipped off the wolf that something was wrong with him. 

While Legend hastily cleaned his hands, Wolfie just situated himself right next to him, lightly leaning against him and watching him intently.

“What is it,” he grumbled out, a little unnerved by the stare. 

The wolf once again nudged his hands with his nose, before looking back at him and letting out a whine of concern. 

Ah, he wanted to know what caused him to clench his fists so hard they started bleeding.   
“Just bad thoughts, nothing else.”

Legend could tell that Wolfie was not satisfied with the answer, as he could swear that his fierce eyes were screaming  _ that isn't “nothing else”! _

And he soon showed that dissatisfaction physically.

“Hey, wha-? Get off, you massive furball!”    
The wolf just got up, stepped partially over him and dropped onto his legs, nosing his snout under one of his hands and staring at him which made him feel like he was a kid caught stealing a cookie from a cookie jar. 

He just gave up struggling to get out from under him after a few moments and started patting the wolf’s head.

Eventually, he felt the tension in his shoulders and jaw ease away as he continued scratching and petting Wolfie. He hates to admit it, but the petting really does help to calm himself down, and he knew that the smug wolf knew that as well, judging by his gaze he now bore. 

“You really are persistent in trying to comfort people, aren’t you,” Legend sighed, before inwardly smirking. “Just like Twilight.”

  
It was amusing to see the wolf’s rather startled look appear on his furry face for a few seconds.

\---

**Warriors**

**\---**

Warriors, at first, was very skeptical of the wolf.    
Why was a wild apex predator like that friendly toward them? Why did it have a shackle with a broken chain on its foreleg? Did that signal that this wolf was chained up to protect people, but had escaped?

The captain was not able to shake off the odd feeling that he has also seen this wolf somewhere before he had met the rest of the heroes across the eras. Maybe it was during the war?

The fact that Warriors could not put a finger on  _ why _ he felt he had seen him before made him a little paranoid, and as such kept a close eye on him. 

Eventually, that gaze of mistrust slowly morphed into one of fondness as time went on with Wolfie proving himself that he was trustworthy, whether in battle providing backup or during downtime where the beast snuggled beside the heroes and comforted them if they needed it (whether they knew that or not). Even he had been under the mercy of having his legs go numb by being squashed by Wolfie a few times, who refused to get off until he sensed the internal turmoil he had been unconsciously feeling was gone.

Sometimes it was ironic to think he would trust the beast more than his human comrades in the army.

\---

They were back at his Hyrule, and they had landed near one of the military outposts on the border. The small troop that was stationed there greeted their hero and Captain with welcome arms and cheers, as the whole army had been a bit worried for their beloved captain whom Princess Zelda had said that "he has been called by the goddesses to complete a task that would require him to travel far distances beyond our capabilities to help” (or so he heard from his troop). They also welcomed his traveling comrades, his brothers-in-arms in as well for a bit of a respite from their constant camping in the wilderness, which had the group sigh in relief. 

That night, Warriors had retreated from the merry din of the small mess hall and stepped outside to breathe in some of the fresh night air of his Hyrule.

While he knew his Hyrule may not be as peaceful, nor as beautiful as the other eras of Hyrule, it was still a place he calls home, and as such he knew where to look to find the beauty underneath the war-ravaged lands.    
Like the clear black canvas full of white twinkling stars he was now gazing at. 

A light padding of footsteps could be heard approaching him, and Warriors glanced back, making sure that it was not an enemy.   
He was surprised that it was Wolfie. How had he snuck in the perimeters of the outpost?    
Well, that showed him that either there was a loose hole somewhere around the walls or a hole in the security he had to look into. 

“Hey Wolfie, how did you sneak in?”   
The wolf only gave him a look that he could describe as amusement.

_ The cheeky beast… _ he gave an exasperated sigh.    
“Well, I’m gonna have to address the hole later… are you here to keep me company, Wolfie?” 

That question was met with an affirmative bark and some tail-wagging, which was a bit amusing to see a wild wolf do.

“Feel free to do so then, just don’t go harassing the troops later.”

The wolf started to give him a lopsided grin before he suddenly stopped his tail-wagging.

His ears were twitching, and he rose to his legs and began scanning their surroundings, which put Warriors on edge. 

“What is it?”   
Warriors was barely able to whisper that out loud when he fell on the ground with a yelp, Wolfie tackling him  _ hard _ . 

It had hurt a bit, but he rather take the numb soreness than what would have happened if Wolfie hadn’t tackled him. 

  
There was a crossbow bolt stuck firmly in the ground where he had been standing mere moments ago.

“Shit,” he cursed, quickly getting to his feet and bringing out his sword. Where had that bolt come from? Did an intruder come in to assassinate him?

Wolfie let out the most intimidating snarl he had ever heard from him and ran toward where Warriors presumed the wolf heard the string of the crossbow winding up, strong paws pounding the hard earth. The captain heard another twang of the crossbow and he cried out in alarm, but once again the wolf showed he was far more than an average beast and nimbly sidestepped the projectile, and lunged onto one of the rooftops. Warriors ran as fast as his legs could carry him as Wolfie disappeared from his line of sight, and heard a cry and some loud swearing. 

Using his hookshot, Warriors brought himself onto the rooftop where Wolfie jumped on to see a crossbow flung to the side, the handle snapped into two, and a man struggling underneath the huge wolf.

Under the cloak, Warriors spied the crest of the Hyrulian royal army.

_ A turncoat?! _ he thought bitterly. 

With a swift movement, he brought the pommel of his sword onto the suspect’s head and knocked him out when he saw something glinting underneath his hand. 

It was a dagger that seemed to be coated in a strange substance.

_ This was going to be a headache to deal with,  _ Warriors thought as a bunch of soldiers came out to see what the commotion was.

After resting assure his troops that he was unharmed and that the wolf was friendly, he ordered them to take the suspect under interrogation. After some digging and pushing, the suspect threw away his front of a loyal soldier and spat insults, profanities, and death threats against the Captain, to which the rest of the soldiers that were with him during interrogation responded by holding him down and dragging him away. His face did not betray his inner turmoil and sadness during all this time, but as soon as he was alone, Warriors let out another tired sigh and brought his hand to his forehead. 

He should have known better than to let down his guard, even within friendly territory and amongst comrades, because they never knew if there were still turncoats lingering in their army, even with the measures taken to pick them out. 

And the fact the reason for the turncoats that they detained to turn was more because of the existence of him rather than being dissatisfied with the Royal Family hurts him so much. 

Her Highness had said that the War across Eras could have not been won without him and for that, the country should be grateful, but he could not shake off the guilt he had, because he was essentially the reason why the sorceress had attacked them in the first place and causing many families to be torn apart.

Warriors sometimes really doubted if he should have existed in the first place.

A flap of cloth signaled the brooding captain that someone had come in to see him, and he was about to tell them to leave him alone when a wet nose bumped into his hand.   
It was Wolfie.

The Captain only gave him a glance and what he hoped to be a small smile. “Hello Wolfie, thanks for earlier.”

The wolf nodded once, but he continued to stare at him, cerulean blue eyes shimmering with concern.

Warriors tried to wave off the beast’s concerns. “It’s okay, nothing is wrong. I’m unharmed, thanks to you.” 

Wolfie let out a snort before he wormed his way in and rested his head on top of his lap, trying to curl around his legs as best as he could with Warriors was sitting in a chair.

Warriors was a bit startled, but he let out a sigh, resigning to his fate of having wolf fur all over his pants once again.

“I should have known better than to lie and omit truths to a wolf with sharp sense such as yours, Wolfie,” he mumbled, stroking his head. “I would say that this is unnecessary,” he said, pausing a bit as Wolfie let out another snort, “but I’m grateful regardless.”

Wolfie stared up at him with warm, intelligent eyes, before snuggling even further against him, a small satisfied rumble sounding in his chest.


	3. Four・Hyrule

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Favors number 5 and 6, featuring Four and Hyrule!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the first pov is like a continuation for one of my oneshots, so if you are confused as to why they were in that situation, that is why. (I wonder if any can remember/guess which fic it is :D)

\---

**Four**

**\---**

Four _really_ _hated_ the cold. 

While he was used to chilly winter, the winters he was used to was  _ not _ the same as Wild’s era’s ones. This was damn right  _ freezing _ . And they were stuck in a cave trying to weather out the sudden blizzard that came, while he and his companion were separated from the rest of the group.    
So excuse him if he was a bit cranky and miserable because those were viable reasons to be so. 

Thankfully his companion had one spare pile of firewood, and they managed to start a small fire to tide out the bitter cold that the blizzard brought.

But it was still cold, even with the wolf pelt that Twilight had draped over him. 

Why was it so cold, even the Ice temple and the Temple of Droplets weren’t as cold as this natural blizzard that was bringing the area around them to freezing temperatures. 

He shivered again, but this time not from the cold. 

A part of the reason why he hated the cold was because of one of his past experiences with ice magic while he was split into four. The feeling of helplessness and cold misery when he was frozen was not something he had liked.

While in this case he wasn’t frozen solid, nor did this storm seemed to be magical in origin, the fact that they were stuck in a cave and forced to take shelter, unable to do much still brought the feeling of helplessness. 

And he did not like it. 

But before his mood could plummet even further, he heard something shifting before a blazing but comfortable warmth wrapped from behind him. 

The smith turned his head to see Wolfie curling up around him, flicking his fluffy tail to drape it over his legs. His blue eyes shown with concern as he let out a single bark, and using his head to push the small hero further into his curled up form.

“Really Wolfie?” Four snarked a little as he was pressed into the warm fur, but the small smile on his face betrayed what he was feeling. “I’m not a wolf pup.”

Wolfie snorted as he curled around him even further, shielding him from the bitingly cold air (and the stinging depressive thoughts that came with it) as much as possible.

Four could only let out a sigh of resignation and snuggled further into the trap that was this warm fur pillow, a word of thanks echoing in the relatively quiet cavern.

  
  


**\---**

**Hyrule**

**\---**

Hyrule could only curse at his extraordinary luck that puts him into these kinds of predicaments. 

He was just exploring a small cavern not too far away from the camp since as an adventurer he could not really ignore the call of adventure when he sees one. An uncharted cave, who knows what kind of things he could find in there?   
He knew the dangers of caves as often they were filled with creepy crawlies and monsters, but a brief magical scan turned up nothing threatening, so he went to explore just a little when they settled for the night.   
Why did said cavern have to collapse, though? Now the path to the entrance was blocked off, and the cave system itself was rather unstable for him to even try to bomb the blocked-off path. 

He was just lucky enough not to get crushed under those boulders anyway.

With a sigh of resignation (but also mixed with eagerness), Hyrule decided to venture further into the cave to find a different way out, lighting his candle and using a dagger to mark the walls so he can use them in case he needed to backtrack.

\---

He did not know how much time had passed as he ventured further into the cave, but he was sure getting the creeps. There wasn’t much visibility, even with his trusty red candle. It was just...too dark.    
He shivered. Hyrule never really liked the dark. Lack of visibility had been extremely detrimental back then when he was going on his journey to retrieve the Triforce pieces. At times he had to rely purely on sound to navigate through pitch darkness, which was extremely hard and dangerous. The fact that every living being seemed to be after his blood did not help his fear and paranoia at all. 

_ keeekeee _

Hyrule nearly jumped in fright when he suddenly heard the screeching noise echo throughout the dim cavern, and he waved his dagger in front of him. The hero braced himself for an encounter with something not friendly.

Nothing.

Only his harsh, quick breathing could be heard.

_ Calm down Link,  _ he thought.  _ Caves are big and hollow. That sound was something from far away, and it echoed all the way here, that’s all _ , the adventurer told himself. 

Now cautious, Hyrule slowly continued onwards. 

Cognitively speaking, he knew that there wasn’t anything in front of him but cave walls, but with that single scare triggering his paranoia, his mind slowly began to play tricks on him. The light from the red candle was casting eerie shadows onto the walls, the occasional flickering of the flame causing them to move as well and making them look like they were alive. The combination of stalactites and stalagmites close by transformed into a gaping maw of a gigantic dragon, and the echoing of his footstep and breathing made him check his surroundings frequently, paranoid that something might be stalking him.   
Hyrule wasn’t sure why he was being so fearful, more so than when he had been traveling by himself. While he was still cautious of everything, the feeling of fear wasn’t this prominent, as his excitement of exploring was on the forefront. What changed?

The answer came quicker than Twilight shutting down Wild whenever he suggests an insane plan. 

He had traveling companions he could trust. 

He never had any companions while he was on his journey to collect the Triforce, so he had never known the sense of security and comfort a traveling companion could bring. He was always by himself and had to look after his own back. 

Until now.

Meeting 8 different heroes from different eras and traveling together was such a new concept to him, it took him some time to get used to it. But now that it has been months since they have been traveling together, Hyrule felt the absence of the sense of comfort strongly now that he was stuck in a cave, alone.

He longed to be with one of his friends right now.

That was when he heard footsteps that weren’t his. 

It was still faint, but the rhythmical pounding of footsteps was different from his. 

Something was coming.    
Drawing his sword out instead, he scanned the area, his senses going overdrive.

What was it?

  
_ Woof! _

Was that a bark?   
  


In the darkness, he saw two intense blue eyes gleaming in the darkness. A glint of metal could be seen near the cave floor, reflecting the light of his candle flame.

Slowly melting out of the shadows, a wolf appeared: greenish-gray fur, white, sharp teeth, and a familiar marking on its forehead.    
  


“Wolfie?”

  
With a happy bark, the wolf trotted toward Hyrule and pressed his body against Hyrule as if he was hugging him, to which the hero reciprocated. 

“Oh goddesses, you don’t know how happy I am to see you here! You were searching for me?”   
Wolfie slipped his head out of his embrace and leveled Hyrule with a stare that he swore was half relieved and half judgemental; It was as if the wolf was criticizing him for wandering off alone.

Hyrule could only give the wolf a sheepish smile.

Snorting, Wolfie began sniffing around, before he began trotting toward a direction. The beast then looked back toward the hero who was still standing in the same place, looking back at him as if he was asking, “aren’t you coming?”

Hyrule sprinted toward the wolf to catch up. Now that he wasn’t alone, he began to realize how beautiful this part of the cavern was; dark blue walls softly reflecting the light of the red candle that seemed to be burning just a bit brighter. The underground lake that he did not realize was there until now seemed to slightly glow in ethereal blue, the reflection of the red flame making a beautiful contrast.

Hyrule gave a smile toward his wolf companion, grateful for its comforting presence, and happy that he could share the beauty of what he was seeing with at least one friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the last part of Hyrule's pov, I had [Lari's art](https://laris-art.tumblr.com/tagged/ryusendo-cave) of Hyrule exploring a cave in mind. Check it out, it is gorgeous!  
> (And I realized while I was writing I had these two povs and the next one have it take place in a cave, oops.)
> 
> Announcement:  
> Okay, as much as I want to post the next chapter tomorrow, the last two heroes' pov isn't nearly close to finishing. I want to deliver quality content, and with both my studies and work, I won't be able to write content that would be satisfactory for me by tomorrow. That's just cheating both myself and you guys, the readers, out from the stuff you were hoping to read. As such, I will probably not be able to keep my goal of finishing this before the weekly prompt changes. I will still try my best though.  
> Thank you for understanding.


	4. Sky・Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last two of the 8 favors!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh, now I know why I rarely write Time. He is a lot more challenging to write than I thought he would be (and it did not help that I was feeling under the weather).  
> Also can I say English can sometimes be a painful language to write in? Tenses are my eternal enemies I swear...
> 
> I give thanks to Pan once again for checking my writing with Sky's pov to see if it makes sense or not (^-^;)

**\---**

**Sky**

**\---**

In the relatively calm silence of the early evening, the time they usually settle in for the night, the quiet, rhythmic sound of wood being scraped and carved could be heard alongside the crackling of a campfire. 

Sky was busying his hands with woodcarving, one of his hobbies he had been doing ever since he was a young child. The feeling of the wood transforming into objects; from everyday utensils to art pieces was a soothing thing for the hero who lived in the sky. It helped him ease his mind whenever it was in turmoil, or he just needed to calm down. 

However, it seemed that his mind was too preoccupied to even fully focus on what he was doing. 

He looked out to the entrance of the cave, in which the grey storm clouds were still covering the sky overhead. While it was faint, he could still hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.

They had to make camp earlier than usual due to a sudden torrential rainstorm pouring on the unlucky heroes. It made it hard to see where they were going. 

The rain had long stopped now, but none of them were in a mood to break camp, the rain having doused their willingness to keep traveling for the day.

Sky looked back to the piece of wood he hadn’t been paying his full attention to in his hand. Not surprisingly, it was starting to look like the shape of a loftwing.

He sighed, putting down his carving knife and thumbed the portion where the beak would be. As much he loved traveling and exploring new places just like any other Link, he still prefers one place over any other place: the sky, soaring through it on his beloved crimson loftwing. 

Oh, how he missed his partner in the vast sky, his friend ever since he had flown down to the square and landed in front of him. Whenever he had felt sad or tired, his loftwing would drag him out and fly around the sky, cutting it very close to the time where students weren’t allowed to fly on their loftwings due to it being dangerous.

He absolutely loved the feeling of the wind blowing in his face as he watched the sun setting in the blue sky, making the horizon turn orange and the white fluffy cloud barrier reflecting the light like water did, shining in the color of amber. 

Flying at dusk was always one of his favorite things to do. He does love to lazily fly at any time, but the skies when it was dusk made a spectacular view, making him itch to fly through the air and admire the beautiful ever-changing artwork that nature makes.

The chosen hero sighed as he stared at the carving, a small ache in his chest. He really missed his home.

The sound of clinking chains scraping the rocky ground made Sky look up to see a familiar furry friend at the cave entrance.

“Hello Wolfie, you came to check in on us? Twilight is currently out scouting if you are wondering. I swear he is too restless at times.”

Sky could hear the beast let out a snort as if he was scoffing at the notion, and padded his way toward the hero. Sky welcomed the presence of the beast at his side, as he learned to be comfortable with Wolfie. At first, he was a little uncertain about the beast, as he had never seen one like him before. The fact that many encounters of something new also led to unsavory situations made him wary. But now he knew that Wolfie was pretty much like a loftwing companion; loyal, fierce, but caring. He had asked Wild if Wolfie was his soul companion one time, but Wild had waved that notion off, saying that Wolfie was his own self. 

He still thought that the beast seemed more than just a regular wolf. Perhaps he was Hylia’s envoy? He knew that was what loftwings were in his time, but who knows, that might have changed over the ages. 

Sky was brought out of his musings when he felt a soft nudge and puffs of air on his hands. Wolfie was sniffing at the unfinished carving, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. 

“Interested in what I’m making?” Sky asked, slowly turning the wood piece so Wolfie could take a look at it from all sides. “It’s still rough, but this is basically a loftwing, a giant species of birds that everyone in my time has companionship with. They carry us around in the sky, but they are not only just a way for us to travel. They also cheer us up when we feel down, nestle with us when we need comfort, they play with us when we want to have fun. They are our partners, our best friends, our soul companions,” Sky explained to the wolf, a wistful tone slowly beginning to emerge in his voice. “My loftwing did all of that. He always took me on flights at dusk time to enjoy the view that the sky had to offer whenever I felt down. The sight was always breathtaking.” Sky let out a small sigh as he stared at the unfinished carving, a melancholic look on his face. “I wasn’t planning to carve out a loftwing, but I guess that shows how much I’ve been missing them.” 

Wolfie stared at him with those expressive blue eyes before he suddenly rose to his paws. Gently, the wolf grabbed the hem of his sleeve with his teeth and pulled, urging him to stand.  
Sky was confused as to why the wolf started pulling him toward the cave entrance. “What’s wrong Wolfie? You want me to follow you or something?” he guessed.  
He was not expecting the wolf to answer that question with a nod. 

Now curious as to what the beast wanted to show him, he put his tools back into his pack and followed him out. He did not see one eye blinking open to watch the pair slip out of the cave.

Outside, the wolf began trotting up the slope up the mountainside, giving back a glance every once in a while to see whether the hero from the sky was following him. Sky followed him as best as he could, but the rain had made the ground slippery, so it took him a bit to navigate up the slope.

“Now where are you taking me Wolfie?” Sky said as he caught up to the Wolf, who had sat down in front of some bushes. “I hope it isn’t anywhere too far from our camp, or I’m going to get an earful about not doing my watch proper-” 

Sky did not get to finish his sentence as the wolf nudged him forward and out into a clearing. 

He could not give a retort either, as Sky was already captivated by what he saw in front of him. 

“Wow…”  
The dark clouds that brought the downpour had mostly cleared away, letting him see the sky had become a canvas of blue, purple, pink, and orange. The last vestiges of sunlight shown from the horizon, dying the thinned-out clouds in streaks of pink and orange. The raindrops that clung to the leaves glimmered like tiny jewels as it reflected the light.  
It was a breathtaking sight; a little different from what he was used to seeing on the back of his loftwing, but beautiful all the same.

Sky felt a warm body brushing at his side and he unconsciously brought his hand up to rest it on his current companion’s furry head, similar to what he does with his loftwing when they gazed at the sky during dusk. 

While the location and the companion beside him were different, Sky felt just as comfortable as he would be in the sky on the back of his loftwing.

It wasn’t home, but a home did not always have to be a physical place. Being with his fellow heroes who he has gotten close with, who he shared stories with, comforted each other... they became just as much as a home like the one in the sky back in his era. 

He just needed to be reminded of that from time to time, like now.

“Thank you Wolfie, for showing me this.”

\---

**Time**

**\---**

His blade sang as he swung it across, catching and felling an advancing bokoblin with one strike. If this is what his Pup had been facing against all by himself whenever he went scouting, he was going to have words with him.

On a whim, he had tagged along to do some scouting of the perimeter when they had met a small rag-tag party of monsters from different eras. Before they could back up, however, one bokoblin managed to sniff them out and sounded the alert. Now the duo was left with no option but to cleave down the monsters, as they did not want to lead the monsters back to camp. Silver streaks danced around, leaving monster corpses in their wake. There wasn’t that many left; his Pup had quickly disposed of whatever archers that had been lurking around, and a good number of lizalfos were struck down. The remaining monsters, which were very few, were calculating their next move, circling around him and his protégé. He did not like that the monsters hadn’t swarmed them right away, as much as that sounded weird. 

It showed that the monsters were learning. 

Monsters were always predictable once he learned their patterns. If there is one thing that the Hero of Time did not like, it was unpredictability from his opponents that he is used to going against. If the monsters were getting smart enough to change plans mid-battle, he would also have to adjust their plans accordingly.

What he liked even less was seeing unfamiliar opponents.

So he did not realize the dangers of what the squeaking sound indicated until it was almost too late.

Almost. 

His battle-honed instincts were the only thing that saved him last second as he instinctively brought his sword up in a defensive position. Unfortunately, he was not expecting the strength of whatever it was that collided with his sword and he lost balance.  
_Shit._  
  
He looked up to see a small lantern bobbing up and down, cloaked in an eerie aura.

Was that a Poe? But they needed to reveal themselves before they attacked, and yet this thing didn’t physically show itself when it had attacked! 

He could tell that the possible Poe was readying another attack, as the aura slightly became brighter, the lamp swinging erratically.

Something soared over his form and collided straight with the lantern. It was Wolfie. 

The wolf hung midair as he saw sharp fangs seemingly tearing through air multiple times before he landed down on the ground in front of Time, barring his fangs in a fearsome snarl. A little confused as to what was going on, Time took the risk to quickly rummage through his belongings to pull out a tool he rarely used anymore; the lens of truth. 

What he saw was a bit more ghastly than he expected. 

While it seemed to have the same ghostly aura similar to the poes of his time, this tall specter looked a lot more threatening with its rather terrifying face.

The ghost reared its lantern again to maim the beast, but Wolfie reacted far quicker than Time’s eye could follow and once again was clinging onto the specter, biting onto its neck. This time it crumpled onto the floor, and Wolfie pounced on a dark pulsating orb that was visible from its chest.

With a violent tug, the beast ripped it away from the Poe, causing it to wither away with a spine-chilling shriek.

Wolfie briefly let out a howl of victory before he leaped toward his next opponent, an unprepared bokoblin, with another intimidating snarl. 

That snarl allowed Time to quickly regain his composure after seeing the rather jarring exchange between a beast and a specter. He threw himself back into battle and fought alongside Wolfie; the duo in an intricate deadly dance against the monsters, man and beast having each other’s backs.

As the remains of the last monster disintegrated, Time let out a sigh as he flicked the blood off his Biggoron sword. Luckily there weren’t any infected monsters, so it took them no time to finish all of them off. Sheathing his sword, he looked over to Wolfie who seemed to be pawing at his snout and doing...gagging motions? Were the enemies that unpleasant to his canine senses this time?

As Time dug in his pack for a rag to wipe off the monster blood off of his Pup’s snout, his mind went back to Wolfie’s expression and stance when he had lost balance and was vulnerable to attacks. That fierce snarl, the tenseness of the wolf’s frame as he stood between them, the quick reactions every time the hero of Time was even in a hint of danger…  
It reminded him of a stallion protecting its herd.

Stallions were known to be very protective of their herd and were capable of fighting off even predators like wolves. 

Didn’t wolves also have something like that? A pack mentality?

Did Wolfie, who originally was not a wolf, adopt that mentality and applied it to their group? 

It very much explained his Pup’s behaviors toward the group; overly protective, paranoid of their surroundings and quick to become (subtly) aggressive toward anything he perceived as threats. 

His Pup saw all of his fellow heroes as his pack. As his family.  
As precious people whom he felt a need to _protect_.

Time could not hold in a small smile as he came to this conclusion.  
His protégé was really like him. As the eldest in the group (he wasn’t going to say how old), each and every hero’s unique and vibrant personalities endeared them to him, and he slowly began to see everyone as family, as _sons_ even. And with that came the protectiveness, the need to shield the others from any further horrors (even in the back of his mind he knew that they were more than capable of protecting themselves).

He now understood why his protégé seems to often go on patrols and possibly fight off monsters alone when he spots them.

The Hero of Time crouched down where Wolfie was still pawing around his nose and took a rag to clean his muzzle of blood. “Thank you for protecting us, Pup,” he spoke in a soft, fond voice.

  
  
  


“Although I do wish you would stop being reckless and request for backup instead of trying to fight them off when you are on your own.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is the +1, and hooo boy am I excited to finally get this one started! hehehe


	5. Wolfie/Twilight Part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part one of the returned favor to Wolfie; A Wolf's Cry of Agony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that I have raised the rating into mature because of this specific chapter, which includes animal abuse. I recommend reading it at your own risk.   
>  I'm sorry that I took so long to update this; I was struggling with the later half of the original chapter (and I still am). This "favor" became too long to fit in a single chapter so I have decided to split it into two.

**\---**

**Wolfie**

**\---**

He really should have been more careful when scouting out to see if he could recognize the area they were in.

If he was careful, he wouldn’t have been in such a dire situation.

“So this is the beast that had a bounty on its’ head?” A gruff voice sounded from behind him as he struggled to shake off the last effects of the sleep darts, and to get off the muzzle that was chaining him to a tree.

“Greenish-black and white fur, weird white markings on its forehead, a shackle and a broken chain on one of its paws, that’s our target alright.”

“It doesn’t seem like too much to have a pretty amount on its head, Cob. It went down with a few sleep darts.”

“Do not be fooled Jigo, the fact it took 3 sleep darts is a prowess to its power. As much as I do want to inspect this specimen, they did request us to do it in the  _ usual way _ .”

Twilight did not like the sound of that, and he resumed his struggles of getting the infernal muzzle off when his side was bashed with a blunt force. He could not help but let out a yelp of pain as he tried to recover from the painful blow.    
“Too bad, if it was unblemished its’ fur would have fetched a pretty rupee as well.”   
Hearing that sent a chill down his spine. What were they planning to do to him before they would inevitably kill him?   
He crouched down, snarling as best as he could to intimidate them from approaching him, but with the muzzle on that was rather ineffective and the one named Cob sauntered up to him.

“Oh look at this poor mutt, trying to intimidate us. Too bad we are used to dealing with beasts and monsters far more frightening than it.” He then gave a wide grin that absolutely gave him the creeps. “And we had utterly  _ destroyed them like they were chew toys for rabid mutts. _ ”

While he knew that he shouldn’t show any faltering, he still couldn’t stop the shiver that went through his spine as he could hear the tinge of  _ insanity _ in this bounty hunter’s voice when he spoke. 

When the creepy guy got too close for comfort, he quickly pounced forward and lashed out.

He managed to land a hit on his face with his claws, and the wolf tried to capitalize on that when he was painfully given a reminder that there were two of them. 

He gagged and whimpered and flailed around as a thick, strong rope-like object wrapped around his throat and yanked him away from the creep. 

Which also pulled him in the opposite direction of the tree he was tied to. 

By the time his throat was released, the edge of his vision was black, and his lungs were desperately trying to draw in oxygen that had been cut off for a fair amount of time. 

He barely registered the stinging pain around his ears as the straps of his muzzle had been pulled taut against him while he was being strangled. 

A shadow cast over where he was wheezing, and he looked up to see the creepy guy looking at him with an intense glint in his eyes, holding a hand to the three lines of red that streaked across his cheek. 

“Why would you look at this, red on my cheeks. And it’s my own. I usually only paint my cheeks red with other living beings’.” The creep, Cob, was staring at the red blood on his fingers that he had wiped from the wounds the wolf had inflicted with a look of fascination. 

“This is new; my face has been blemished by a wound. Made by claws. That’s _ wrong _ .” 

Before the wolf regained his bearings, something came down on his right forearm,  _ hard. _

He could not help but let out a high pitched howl of pain as he heard, then felt his bones in his paws snap, crushed from the blow of a heavy club.

Amidst the agonizing burn of pain and his howl, he could barely hear the smug voice of the creep.

“Let’s see you try that again with a broken leg, huh?” 

He tried to snarl at the offender through the agony, but that defiance only granted him more pain as he was sent flying into a tree.    
A spiked club had smacked against his side with great force, tearing through the thick skin that he had as a wolf. The pain that ran through him was doubled when he heard another sickening snap.    
_ There goes more bones, _ he gnashed his fangs as he tried to shift his body as best as he could away from his broken side. 

The situation was becoming grimmer by the second as Twilight took the brief respite from the beating as the bounty hunters laughed at his struggles. 

He was muzzled up, so his best option of attacking was out of the question. One of his paws were completely messed up, so it seriously hindered his capabilities to dodge even the slowest strikes. Breathing in too deeply was painful already with the broken ribcage straining against his left lung, and the gashes left by the spiked club did not help him in the slightest, liquid slightly trickling out from his side and staining his fur red. 

“Still standing, eh? You have quite a bit of pain tolerance, don’cha mutt?” The more burly of the two said, a smirk on his lips as he sauntered forward. The shapeshifter could only tense as he saw something unfurling from the hunter’s grip.

“I wonder how much more you can withstand?”

\---

By the point that he fell over from attempting to dodge the sting of the whip on his fifth try, he could only grit his teeth and withstand the pain as the whip lashed upon his back numerous times.    
“...48,”

He winced as the end of the whip dragged over his now sensitive skin, and the scent of fresh blood assaulting his senses once again.

“49,”

The wolf was trying his best not to yelp out, not wanting to give the bastards the satisfaction of hearing him cry out any further, but the power this guy had behind his lashes was truly torturous.

“50!” 

He couldn’t help it. He let out a loud yelp as the end of the whip ventured far too close his face and brutally struck right above his right eye. Red began slowly trickling from above and invaded his vision before he could shut it close. He almost collapsed from the fiery pain. 

“Oops did I get your eye?” The wolf could hear the smug, deprecating voice of the burly bastard say sarcastically. 

Wolfie could barely give out another snarl as he lifted his head up to glare at his tormentors with his good eye.   
The creep let out a sinister chuckle. “My, this specimen still has a lot of fight left. Interesting…” 

A sudden boot to his face made him crumple to the ground, and his vision nearly faded completely as another kick nailed him in the stomach. The taste of iron filled his mouth as he coughed harshly.   
“Shall we have him tested by nature’s wrath as well?”

The feeling of  _ wrongness _ in the air around him was his only warning as he was squeezed by an invisible force and flung harshly into the air with a flick of the wrist of the creep. 

Straight into a freezing river.   
  


An overwhelming wave of intense, painful stimulants assaulted his sense all at once as he impacted the unforgiving icy waters. 

Even with his fur coat, it was absolutely freezing to the core. The water stung his wounds that were inflicted with the spiky club and the lashes from the whip, and the force of the current battered at his broken ribcage and his smashed left paw with a force of a rampaging boar. 

He could barely keep his head above the surface.

Twilight really wanted to cry out in agony. His body was in so much pain. 

He was tempted to let the current sweep him away. 

But inside him, he still had the fire to fight. 

With sheer will and adrenaline, he used his remaining good paws to direct his body toward the shore.

Following the chain that was ironically keeping him tethered to land.

By the time he got to shore, Twilight was absolutely exhausted. The freezing river had completely drained whatever strength he had left. 

He was soaked to the bone, and the chilly winter air only added to the torment his battered body was subjected to. 

The wolf could barely raise his head as he heard his torturers approach where he had collapsed.    
“Absolutely impressing,” he could barely hear the hunter mutter in his state. “The beast managed to drag itself back on land despite all the wounds it received.”   
A maniacal grin filled Twilight’s vision as the creep crouched low to peer intently in his eye. “I would applaud you for your tenacity, beast, as you are no regular mutt to have lasted this long. But you don’t understand me, do you?”   
Twilight could only let out a weak growl at that, but his eye retained the intense glare. 

“Oh, this wolf seems smarter than the average beast. Let’s see if it would recognize the significance of this.”

The bastard slowly brought out a dagger for him to see. At first glance, it had no defining details to it that would allow him to identify, but then a strange, nauseatingly sweet smell assaulted his canine nose. 

Scrutinizing through the pain, the wolf could see that the blade was coated with a substance, tinged in purple. 

It was identical to the dagger that he saw that traitor he had apprehended back in Warrior’s Hyrule a few months ago.

Everything clicked in his mind; why bounty hunters had a specific description for him, who was the  _ “us” _ the two had mentioned, and why that unknown party had requested for such a beating against a wolf of all things.

This was revenge against the assassination attempt that he had stopped, wasn’t it?

It was ironic that he managed to succeed in his original task of finding out which Hyrule they arrived in such a way. 

“It  _ does _ seem to recognize this, interesting. I really mourn for the lost opportunity of examining this species, but a contract is still a contract.” 

The blade glinted ominously as the dagger was slowly raised. 

“They requested that you be killed in the slowest, painful way possible; by the poison that was meant to kill their original target, whoever that was. If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself for gaining the ire of some of the most revenge-thirsty group in this land.”

The blade plunged downward, stabbing deeply into his shoulder. 

The bite of the steel blade was already painful, but that was only the beginning as the sensation of  _ burning agony _ began to spread out from where the dagger was embedded. 

The wolf let out a weak whimper. He didn’t have the strength to even howl anymore.

Everything was burning inside him. He wanted to scratch and tear at himself as if that could extract the poison that was circulating in his body. 

But he could barely move.

Was he truly going to meet his end as a wolf? With no one knowing of his demise?

This was utterly humiliating. Twilight, the hero chosen by the goddess, the man who had gone through so many hardships, saved two realms, defeated a king of pure evil and  _ lived _ , going down without dignity, by poison no less.

He does not regret saving Warriors’ life, even if that was the reason that led him to this situation. 

But he would still have regrets. 

Not being able to get himself out of this situation.

Not being able to warn his friends about this.

Not being able to stand alongside his comrades when they eventually get to the bottom of the whole situation that caused them to meet.

And mostly, not being able to protect his pack, whether from external problems or internal ones.

  
Twilight’s senses began to waver, as the poison ravaging in his system slowly began to take a toll on his battered body. His eyesight began to blur, his sense of smell dulled, and even with his sensitive hearing, he could barely hear what the bounty hunters were saying. Even the burning pain seemed to become duller. 

He knew he was beginning to fade.

That was when he heard a scream of pain, panicking cursing, and angry shouts fill the area. His dulling nose then barely managed to pick up a familiar scent of wildflowers and the misting rain. 

  
Wild.

His pack was here.   
  
“....o, no, no, plea… Tw- Wolfie please!”

“...Wha...those bastards …..”   
“...dagger…poison!”   
He could only hear the muffled voices of his pack as he barely felt the straps on his muzzle fall free, and calloused hands softly petting his head. He hardly registered the dagger being pulled out from his shoulder, nor any prodding on his broken ribs and paw.   
The last thing he heard before he fell into the darkness was one he heard with clarity.   
  
“No one is going to die on my watch if I can help it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will probably take a bit more time to refine the next part, so please be patient with me! Especially I have a license exam coming up soon that I need to study.  
> Also, I now have a [Tumblr account (username 46ammy)](https://46ammy.tumblr.com/) , and I will be posting updates about my fics on there if I go inactive for a while or have something irl happening.  
> Cheers!


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